Niners defeat defending champs for NFC wild-card win

PHILADELPHIA – In an unlikely playoff season marred by injuries to some talented stars, it was going to take a catch somewhere. san francisco 49ers,

Sunday was not that day.

The 49ers, who won 12 games despite playing most of the season without a defensive end nick bossa (ACL) and linebacker fred warner (ankle), among others, had suffered repeated injuries.

San Francisco also largely ignored the offseason roster reset and used doubt about its approach as fuel. That resolve was tested again on Sunday, when the finish got tough george kittel The left suffered a right Achilles injury that kept him out of most games and may cost him next season.

Despite that devastating injury to another team leader and captain, the 49ers, as they had so many times this season, continued to fight. Unlikely heroes–like wideouts demarcus robinson And a much-maligned defense – resurfaced once again.

Common sense would indicate that the magic is bound to end at some point. But these Niners will continue to play with house money, betting on themselves even in the toughest times.

with Sunday 23-19 After a win over the Philadelphia Eagles, the Niners will travel to Seattle for the NFC Divisional Round next weekend. The deck will be stacked in front of them again.

But it’s foolish to count them out as long as these Niners continue to play.

san francisco 49ers

What is meant by QB performance: In the absence of its top pass catchers, San Francisco needed a quarterback brock purdy At its best. What the Niners got was a mixed bag that included some key mistakes but a big delivery when it mattered most.

Trailing 19–17 with eight minutes remaining, Purdy mounted a drive that ended with him escaping pressure and finding McCaffrey with a 4-yard touchdown pass, giving the Niners a 23–19 lead with 2:54 remaining.

Before that, Purdy hit some key throws to lead the Niners and made some plays with his legs, but he also tried to do too much at times.

The latter caused him to throw the first two interceptions of his career in the postseason, ending two drives, as Purdy completed 18 of 31 passes for 262 yards with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.

Most Amazing Performance: Wide receiver DeMarcus Robinson. already without receiver Ricky Pearsall The Niners played most of Sunday’s game without George Kittle due to knee and ankle injuries. Achilles injury on right side,

This left San Francisco in dire need of someone who could perform well in the passing game. Enter Robinson, whose season high for receiving yards occurred in Week 6, when he finished with 44.

But Robinson set the tone on the second play of the game with a 61-yard catch and run. He finished with easily his best game as a Niner, posting six catches for 111 yards and a touchdown.

turn: In desperate need of a big play, Shanahan searches his bag of tricks with receivers john jennings – a former quarterback – take one finish around and throw to run back Christian McCaffrey,

Jennings’ pass initially appeared to be deflected, but McCaffrey adjusted and carried it in for the score. The extra point made it 17–16 with 14:52 left, giving the Niners the lead and giving them the offensive momentum they needed for a strong finish.

It was Jennings’ second career touchdown pass of the season, having also connected with McCaffrey for a 21-yard score against the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII. Jennings has had the last two playoff touchdown passes thrown by a non-quarterback. , nick wagner

Next game: tbd

The defending champions were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs, largely due to their offensive inconsistency.

This was a major theme of their season. The defense was one of the best in the NFL and kept the Eagles in check for most of the game, while the offense struggled to hold its own. The funks became more frequent in the second half, and that was the case on Sunday as Philadelphia could only score six points after halftime.

It was a highly winnable game against a San Francisco defense that was badly hit by injuries, but it required the Eagles’ offense to step up its game to match the firepower of the 49ers.

The focus will immediately turn to the future of first-year playcaller Kevin Pattullo after the highest-paid offense in the NFL once again failed to deliver.

QB Performance: jalen hurts Went 20 of 35 for 168 yards and a touchdown. He played turnover-free, which has been a big part of the Eagles’ winning formula during the Nick Sirianni era and especially this year, but Hurts and the majority of the offensive game lacked punch. tight end perfection dallas goedert Hope remained alive on fourth down and five late in the game, but the Eagles’ last attempt ended just outside the red zone.

Statistics to know: All-Pro cornerback Mitchell has zero career interceptions in 32 regular season games, but has four in the postseason, including a pair off Brock Purdy in the second half on Sunday. Mitchell tied with Brian Dawkins for most Eagles interceptions in the postseason and trails only Herm Edwards (5) in that category.

Viewing Trends: Tight end Dallas Goedert continues to perform well in the red zone. He had two touchdowns, one of which came on a jet sweep to open the scoring for Philadelphia. According to ESPN Research, this was the first postseason rushing touchdown by a tight end in NFL history. The impending free agent finished with 13 touchdowns this season, breaking his previous high. , Tim McManus